With protests and resistance against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) 2016 growing stronger all across Northeast India, it was only imperative that the students contributed their share too. The student protests against the bill, which seeks to change the demographic structure and cultural character of the region, came along with an added religious twist during the recently concluded Saraswati Puja.
Students at Cotton University, Guwahati used a handmade map of the Northeast with “We Oppose Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016” written on it as a part of the decorations.
Pranjal Kalita, General Secretary of the Cotton University Students’ Union said, “It was a symbolic protest against the bill that sought to threaten the language, culture and the very existence of the indigenous people of the Northeast.” He went on to add that if the bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha as well, the students would intensify their agitation, but would never accept the allegedly draconian bill.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, backed by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government seeks to grant citizenship status to persecuted non-Muslim minorities of six religions from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is believed to be in clear contradictions with the Assam Accord of 1985 and the National Register of Citizens.
The citizens of the North-Eastern states believe it is an election sop by the BJP to change the demographic character of the region by legalizing citizenship of as many as 20 lakh illegal immigrants. It is also thought to be in clear violation of Right to Equality granted under Article 14 as it doesn’t grant legal status to Muslim immigrants.
In a time, when the AGP has pulled out of the coalition with BJP, the NPP and UDP oppose the bill, the Nagaland government has shown restraint, BJP’s own Assam unit stands opposed to the bill, the students’ opposition and protest not only intensify the agitation but also adds a unified character to it. The All Assam Students’ Union waved black flags and appealed to the opposition parties to vote against the bill.
As the Cotton University protests come across as an example of activism and dissent, this has not been the first time when religious vigour was combined with political activism and nationalism. In fact, historical instances suggest such unified resistance combined with religious vigour have always strengthened movements against diatribe unleashed by perpetrators.
During India’s struggle for independence from erstwhile British domination, national leaders resorted to protests in a unique way. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, one of the most known faces of Indian nationalism revived the Shivaji and Ganapati festival in Maharashtra to remind the Indians of where they came from.
He gave a clarion call to the natives of the country to unite in thought, belief and action, so as to eradicate the roots of the British Empire from the country. Likewise, Aurobindo Ghose came up with the concept of Mother India, invoking people’s emotions of nationalism to fight against the British.
During the anti-partition movement of Bengal, Ghose also sought to make agitators swear a ‘terrorist oath’ before Goddess Kali.
At one point, Britain’s crackdown on the Caliphate in Turkey had enraged the Muslim community in the subcontinent, who considered it to be the religious capital of Muslims around the world. Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali, two brothers, founded the Khilafat Movement to restore lost glory to the Caliphate and initiated Non-Cooperation against the British in India, in collaboration with Gandhi. This forced the imperialists to rethink their policies in India.
Students of Cotton University maintain that they stand against the bill which seeks to change the cultural and indigenous character of their homeland. Rutul Paswan, a student at the university, explains his anguish in no uncertain terms.
“CAB hampered our region and language. We are developing our own economy, and have to take care of our own people. The BJP government wants it to be passed because they wanted them (immigrants) as their vote bank. We, the students, have opposed it tooth and nail and will continue to do so. Even in Saraswati Puja, we took up the protest against CAB as our theme,” he explains.
As the BJP foments its image as a pro-Hindutva party, it has steadily lost political ground in the Northeast to regional parties. Conrad Sangma, the leader of the NPP and the Chief Minister of Meghalaya has emerged as the ‘face of the Northeast.’ The government also continued its crackdown on the protesters by imposing a curfew (Section 144) and suspending internet services in Imphal East and Imphal West. All the while, major party leaders of the BJP continued to assure that the bill shall be passed and it won’t cause any disruption to the life and culture of natives.
However, everyone in the Northeast heaved a sigh of relief and took to the streets, celebrating as the Citizenship Amendment Bill lapsed due to end of the term of the Lok Sabha and indefinite suspension of the Rajya Sabha where the bill was supposed to get passed on last week. It definitely comes off as a relief to everyone who had been agitating day and night to protect their land and culture.
The students, once again have come as a force to be reckoned with, when it comes to democratic values, spirit and ideals. One can only hope that such a situation won’t arise again once the new government is in power in July. The hopes and aspirations of the Northeast can only be fulfilled by assimilation and not alienation.